+s
Remembe
td
aL CELE
that the longe:
Taps is very forgiving, in that if you're having problems hitting single notes it still
sounds pretty much OK. This is due to the way the harp is tuned. But, again, the object
here is to hit single notes.
Now let's incorporate the draw reeds. I'm assuming you all know how this one's
supposed to go:
AN_AIN'T NOTHIN
BUT A FOOL"
2ROW, ROW, ROW YOUR BOAT
444655 54556
TTT TATA
ht
retttttttttt
haba
————
RED RIVER VALLEY
reaaee els 345456 5 5
trpttpetep ttptty ut
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tegtaguet] ttpbt] 144CROSS HARP
To understand cross harp is to understand blues harp - it's that basic. The over-
whelming majority of all recorded blues harmonica (as well as bluegrass, country and rock
1 roll) is played in this position and manner. So what is cross harp?
Cross harp is simply the common name for second position or Mixolydian mode -
but don't let that scare you. In essence, all it means is that instead of #4 blow being the
root note (as in straight harp,) now #2 draw is the root note.
Somewhere along the line, somebody discovered that if a player were to emphasize
the draw notes and bend the draw notes, that a very bluesy sound was the result, And that if
the root note was the #2 draw, the ensuing scale would lend itself toward that kind of sound.
Hence, cross harp.
So what does it mean to the player? It means that you are no longer playing the harp
inthe key for which it was designed. In fact, the harp you use is 4 steps up the scale from
the key you want to play in; thus, to play in C you'd need an F harp. Take a look at the
following chart:
CROSS HARP CHART
KEY YOU WANT
TO PLAY IN HARP YOU USE
G Cc
Ab Db
A D
Bb Eb
B E
Cc F
cH F# ies
D G “HARMONICA TRAIN"
Eb ob vq, font "woorne= anne
E A
F
F#
Let's suppose some guitar player says to you: "Hey, let's play in A." Taking a peck
at this chart will tip you off that you'll need to grab your D harp.
Joften recommend to beginning students that they Xerox this chart and keep it with
their harps until they've memorized it. Another idea is to mark each harp case with a magic
marker, noting which cross key each plays in. Eventually, though, you'll need to memorize
this information.
By playing in cross position, the emphasis of the wind direction will change. In
other words, instead of primarily blowing your harp, you will be primarily drawing. Blues
harp is at least 80% draw notes, so warm up your chops and get ready to suck!
15BENDING
WHAT?
“Bending” notes is simply another way to describe the flattening or downward alter-
ing of the pitch ofa given note. Leaming to accurately bend notes is the key to playing
blues harmonica.
HOW?
The bend is achieved by altering both the shape of the mouth and the nature of the
wind supply. A tone on the harmonica can only be bent downward in pitch; it's impossible
to bend a note upward (although itis possible to create the illusion of an upward bend - welll
explore that in a couple of pages.)
WHy?
‘There are: several reasons for bending notes. As we discussed earlier, the diatonic
harp is only capable of producing a limited number of tones, and does not include all the
notes of the chromatic scale. By learning to bend the existing notes, a player expands the
capability of the instrument dramatically. Perhaps even more important, the very nature of
the bent note is the essence of blues. If we listen to an expert blues guitarist, for example,
welll constantly hear bent strings - the creation and release of tension employed by this glis~
sando effect is a comerstone of blues.
The basis for bent (or "blue") notes probably comes from the West African vocal
scale, which employs minor thirds, flated fifths and minor sevenths. These effects have be-
come so much a part of contemporary music that they are often taken for granted by both
vocalists arid instrumentalists.
CROSS HARP
‘The main reason that cross harp is the favored position for blues has to do with the
bent note. As we shall see, on the lower 6 holes of the harp it is impossible to bend the
blow reeds - only the draw reeds can be bent. And since bent notes are the keystone of the
blues sound, we will want to employ them often; thus, we must draw often, The result be-
comes cross harp. (See chapter on cross harp if confused.)
GETTING STARTED - DRAW BENDS
First of all it's extremely difficult to bend 2 notes at the same time - therefore, if
you're still having trouble hitting one note at a time you will not have success bending.
Practice is essential... don't jump the gun. Be sure you are comfortable with single notes.
‘Take an inhale on hole #1. Listen to the note and memorize how it sounds. Now, as
you're drawing in air, experiment with changing the pressure and shape of your mouth, Try
sucking harder and moving your jaw around slightly. Various people have success with
various techniques, so you might try some of the following:
16|. Say "oooh - aaah - oooh - aaah" to yourself
while drawing the note.
. Say "oooy - o0y - o00y.""
. Raise and/or lower your jaw a bit.
|. Shift your tongue back in your mouth.
. Pinch the wind supply by tightening the tension
in the throat.
5. Tense your lips slightly.
7. Suck harder?
At least one of these techniques (or perhaps all of them in conjunction) ought to work
for you. The result should be that the note dips downward in pitch.
Is it working? If not, keep messing with it- it ll come. Bending can be elusive at
first... I recall having a terrible time with it until suddenly it just hit me. Norton Buffalo de-
scribes the phenomenon as akin to trying to suck a really thick milk shake through a
straw,...a big chunk of ice cream'll get stuck, necessitating more pressure, but then it
eventually comes free with a thunk. That "thunk" is the bend.
‘Once you've gotten to the point where you can make #1 draw go down in pitch, move
up the harp to #2 draw and try it there, This'l be a little harder because there are now holes
both to the left and the right of the hole you're working. Again, make sure you're only hit-
ting #2 draw. Give ita shot. Now try #3 draw, and #4, etc., right on up the harp.
‘What you'll notice is that once you get way up the harp (#7-#10) itl get impossible to
bend the draw notes. This is due to the harp's construction, not your playing, so don't
worry about it
BENDABILITY
The various holes have differing amounts of "bendability" - that is to say you can
bend certain holes further in pitch than others. Hole #2 can be bent 2 semitones, hole #3 can
bbe bent 3 semitones, and holes #1, 4, 5 and 6 can only be bent | + semitone. These factors
apply no matter what key harp you use, and are the direct result of the Richter tuning.
Bending these draw notes (H- #6) is something you wll want to practice again and
again and again! ni in bl
"UPWARD" BENDS
Again, it is not possible to bend a note upward in pitch; we can only flatten a note
downward. But le’s look a little closer:
Try bending hole #2 draw. Start out by drawing normally, then slowly bend it down
in pitch, and then slowly release the bend until it returns to it's normal pitch. On a graph,
such a tone would look like this:
normal \ / normal
bent
As you've just discovered, if you allow your mouth to return to "normal" while
bending a note, the pitch rises back up to "normal." Let's look at that graph again:
normal \ 7 normal
bent
17If we chop off the first part of the graph, in other words if we start the note already
bent and simply release the bend, then the graph looks like this:
_ ena
bent
In anutshell: while we can't truly bend a given note upward, we can create the illusion
of an upward bend by pre-bending the note downward, and then simply releasing the bend.
Like everything else, this takes practice. You'll need to attack the note in a more aggressive
fashion and really bit
The more comfortable you get with pre-bending, the easier everything else be-
comes. Another technique is to chop off both the first part and the last part of this graph.
in other words, to hit only the bent part of the note. To do this adds a (previously unattain-
able) note to your harp. Extrapolate this over the entire harp and you've now added a lot of
new notes.
HIGH. BLOW-BE
These are not as essential to master as the draw bends, but they do add a lot in terms
of variety and dynamics.
‘As we discovered earlier, on the bottom holes of the harp, only the draw notes can be
bent. It is a quirk in design, though, that on the top holes, only the blow notes can be bent.
The technique used to get these high-note blow-bends is somewhat different, and a bit
more difficult. Right off the bat you'll notice that they are much easier to accomplish on
lower-keyed harps, so try this out on a G. A, or Bb harp. (You'll find it nearly impossible
on, for example, an F harp.)
First let's isolate #9 blow on an A harp. Play it lightly and listen to the tone. Now,
purse your lips, blow harder, and raise your tongue upward as you blow. Hopefully, the re~
sult will be a downward lowering of the pitch. Again, this technique is not easy at first -
you may have to mess around with it for awhile before it clicks. Keep trying though, and
eventually itl come to you. Incidentally if you're a feline fancier, this'll drive your cats right
out of the house... also, this turns some dogs into psychopathic howling banshees, which
may open up a whole career for you on Letterman's "Stupid Pet Tricks." Just put my 15%
in the mail. These blow-bends are particularly handy on holes #8-#10. Take a listen to
Jimmy Reed for a lesson from a master of this technique
IN SUM
Basically, blues harmonica is nothing more than a series of bent, unbent and
partially bent notes strung together in cohesive phrases over a skeletal structure. Later
‘on I'll map out (in tablature) many of the most recurrent phrases, together with a bunch
of riffs and tricks - but before we go on, practice bending until your lips bleed!
wRDisc JOCKEY
LOST JAWBONE
Sonny's first
SONNY TERRY partner,
Blind Boy Fuller
Tim 221
HUNGRY CALF BLUES
Peat)First things first: make sure you've got the right kind of harp! Like most blues
players, Sonny Terry played a 10-hole diatonic harp (in his case a Hohner Marine
Band.) Some folks prefer other similar models like the Blues Harp, Special 20,
Golden Melody, Lee Oskar, Huang, Meisterklasse, etc., any of which are fine as long
as they have 10 holes and no slide button,
While Sonny played his harp upside-down (low notes to the right,) it is not
necessary (nor recommended ) that you do the same. On the other hand (no pun
intended, if you've somehow managed to already learn to play upside-down like
Sonny, it’s also not necessary for you to now unlearn everything you know and
switch over. It really doesn’t matter.
Also, Sonny played in an acoustic manner. That is, he didn’t hold
a bullet mike in his hands and blow through fan amp, a la Chicago blues
players like Little Walter, Junior Wells, Walter Horton and others. He simply
played as though there was no microphone around. This fact, perhaps more than
any other, explains how he was able to achieve so many hand effects like slapping,
fanning, wah-wahs, etc... he didn’t have to worry about dropping a hand-held mike.
Although there are a few recorded examples of Terry playing in first position
(straight harp,) the overwhelming majority of the time he played cross harp (second
Position.) And since I cannot recall him ever playing in third, fourth or fifth
positions, for the purposes of this book those positions are not discussed.
20In listening to his recordings in chronological order, one is struck by the consis-
tency of his playing over the years, As early as ‘37 and ‘38 his style was an already
fully mature one, and while his singing voice changed markedly in the ensuing fifty
years, his harmonica remained virtually the same.
Sonny's first recordings (available on Document CD 5230 - highly recommended!)
were primarily solo pieces and/or harmonica and washboard duets. They usually
featured Terry singing in a falsetto voice (he called it “high-setto,”) and accompany-
ing himself with audacious rhythm patterns and beautifully controlled single-line
runs. In those early days he also waxed several brilliant instrumental pieces, often
imitating the rural sounds he grew up with: trains, hounds, foxes, etc. Because his
(falsetto) voice was in virtually the same tonal register as his harp, he sometimes
finished off or substituted parts of a vocal line with his harp, or whooped a falsetto
singing note during the harp break. On occasion it can be difficult to pinpoint ex-
actly where one stops and the other begins.
As the years went by and Terry began to work more with guitarists, his style
changed only to the extent that he no longer found it necessary in every song to
provide the driving rhythm. When the song called for it, of course, it was there,
and the falsetto whoops remained as well.
Terry used several hand effects, most of which relied upon a single premise: the
harp would be held mostly with one hand, while the other formed a cup behind it.
Most players find it easiest to hold and support the harp with the left hand, and then
use the right to pivot, slap, wah-wah and otherwise alter the tone.
When chording, Sonny puts his tongue to good use. His rhythmic playing fea-
tures very clipped starts and stops; there's no mushiness to the beginnings or end-
ings of his notes. This is achieved by bouncing the tongue off the roof of the mouth.
Try saying out loud the words “dit, dit, dit.” Now say them while inhaling. It
sounds a little bit like the scolding noise you make (“tsk, tsk") when you're repri-
manding your cat for spitting a hairball into your guitar case.
Now do that exact same thing while
drawing holes 1, 2, & 3 through your
harp... that’s a Sonny Terry rhythm
pattern! We'll expand upon it a little
later.
Like most other blues players, Terry
often utilized a “call and response”
pattern of following the vocal with a
similar single-line | melodic phrase.
The smoothness of these lines is the
most notable characteristic of this as-
pect of his style
In faster songs, Sonny used the harp
as a punctuation of the rhythm, cut-
ting off chords sharply ‘either by
tongue clicking or hand smacking. In
this next section we'll analyze and
break down 70 of his specific licks.
Sonny's inspiration: Deford Bailey
onSONNY TERRY LICKS
In front: All of these licks are played on the accompanying CD in the same order
as in the text. All (except the last four) are played on an “A” harp in cross position,
resulting in the key of E. (While Terry played in every key, the two harps he seemed
to prefer the most were A and Bb - probably because they most closely fit his vocal
range.)
In order to play along with the CD, then, you'll need a ten-hole harp in the key of
A. Sonny preferred the Hohner Marine Band model for most of his career ( in later
years switching to a Lee Oskar,) but any diatonic harp will do... on the CD I’m using a
Special 20. What will become immediately evident is that you'll be drawing (instead
of blowing) at least 80% of the time.
The CD was recorded using state-of-the-art equipment, so if it should come out
slightly sharp or flat in relation to your A harp, you either have a funky harp or
your CD deck needs a tweak on it's variable pitch control ( if it has one.)
‘A few more words on the tablature: obviously much of Sonny's style revolves
around the bent note, primarily the draw bends on the lower six holes. As we men-
tioned in the section on tablature, a downward pointed arrow designates a draw.
For the purposes of this tab, a bent note is designated by a
bent arrow, as in 4 (which means draw and bend hole 4.)
/
Most of the time this bent arrow means that you start the note pre-bent, then re-
lease it up to it’s normal pitch, but sometimes it will mean to start the note at it’s
normal pitch, then bend it down. You'll have to rely on your ear for those distine-
tions. In a few cases, only the bent or flatted part of a note is to be played.
In such a case it will be notated with a “straight/bent” arrow, as in: 4
oe
If you see a notation looking thusly: 6
it means that the player is to blow on holes 3 and 6, but nothing else. This is an oc
tave split, and is made possible by blocking out holes 4 and 5 with the tongue. Try
aiming the tip of the tongue for the bottom half of the little post that separates holes
4.and5. That's usually all it takes to block out 4 and 5. Unless you have an unusu-
ally huge (or puny ) tongue, once you monkey around with this you'll now find
yourself blowing through 3 and 6 only.
Finally, should you see a little arc over some notes ( ——~ ) it means
those notes are to be slurred together and played very quickly.
When playing in Sonny's style, you'll notice there is very little redirection of
wind, In other words, although you might hear him play a lightning-fast riff of 10
or more notes, in most cases all of those notes are draw. Try to think in terms of
taking one long sustained breath rather than a series of shorter ones, then start and
stop specific notes by bending and tongue slapping off the roof of the mouth.
OK? Are you ready? ;
Fire up your CD machine, pop open your beverage of choice, and let’s go:
22’ Dozen Intro Licks
TI start out with a half-a-dozen licks that Sonny often used at the very beginning of slow blues songs:
oan
aan
naa aa oan
ana aan
a> oa mae
ae ow one
a “—
o>
a >
a oy ina
g <—
> sO
wa aot Bone
" Bo
> a gz ->
s Bowe Bove
a> 3 > z >
= os 4 —
oan 29> 20>
” = =
vr wyNow comes another half-a-dozen licks that Sonny used as intros on faster songs. Some of these are
simply patterns that repeat themselves. It's important to remember on many of these pattems that the
tongue bounces off the roof of the mouth, and that's what creates the sharp starts and stops.
7g Ghia, Tha gp comm
‘ith di dvd
8. 2323432 3 21 i 2 22 3
bisbad ip th Gy tb dd
5. 53, , Fh oa copem
Cs
Q), This next one is also known as "chugging". In some ways, i's similar to #7.
2 Fh 218k 2 FR 4 3 cone
a er
10, 4 4 4 5 4 4 4 3 2 EESEETESE
pete se es syistthins
1s B 5 3
eu
Wa
8 432
fou
234 4
wet)
ABC - TV Photo, courtesy of Brian Smith
27Nineteen Fast Licks
25, Actually an expanded version of the lick in #12:
(repeated several times, then:)
2
4
a
oN
oo
(remoe
a
(repeat first part)
o>
ON
A
The "John Henry" lick:
na
ome
na
one
nae
one
one
rome
nae
one
nae
ome
wae
ome
One
—_
pon
nae
one
na
one
one
Kon
These next three licks (28,29 & 30) employ the bent part only of a given note.
oR30. This is similar to #29, but it has some wind redirection.
3 2. This one sounds harder than it really is.
3
2
1
‘
335323
rather than on #2 draw (which is where Sonny usually played it). For this lick, at least,
3
die Vtt ‘
that enables the player to go faster,
3 3, What makes this one interesting is that the root note (or the "tonic") is played on #3 blow
3
aaa
nan
oes
a
35,
20This employs a tongue-block slide up the face of the harp
™
on nae —
= a
™
~t— one oN
on _ oan
na om > ow
To ™~ a
— pee “>
ree fom 7 mane
GEES , So oN ger
sone lene G ve WIS
= =
= oe oN
MAP ome — an
(ro ae > se (eo
1 o> — aA
™~
oN —>
oe es w<_ a
7
or nae oN “
(ind na < —
meme lem _ om o>
— Face ~y
oe (=
oa
one Ny <«
os
( mime we
CONN
man
one an. <=
a oa a
a ae
To
37.
38,
30(repeat)
aa oN
nan
ee eS a —
(ssc ™~
aA IN — a ~— >
nae
(<= _, 2s _ OSM o>
os 3 a
m~ >
“y woe F m™ nue
“gt OS
‘3 (CR oN << o>
a “ >
3%. ON ne = nae
% on o—
20 oe — o>
2 NM, eS >
oJ V >
A “—_ nat
3 —> + ~—>
Bo pons o> ™ o> ot
& [man oS o>
2 Ty =~ > o> —
g iran o>
3 > nae
% —
2 oan a, ma o>
n>
s (eon < o> —_>
\an o> a> “> “a
& SS ss o>
a> a . o> >
=
40.
42
413. Thisis a percussive kind of attack that Sonny often used. It's important to
remember to bounce the tongue off the roof of the mouth for this one.
AA
aan
aan
oan
oan
oa
on
ann
A
as
a1Ten Shuffle-Paced Licks
Sonny used to play this in live performance, but it's probably better known as the lick Walter Horton
played in the song "Easy". It's made up primarily of “trills", that is to say you warble back and forth
between two different holes. Also, the "cup" that you form with your hands behind your harmonica is
closed,
45.
32The "Boogie" lick:
Now let's try, as "lick 47", the first part of that boogie lick, only we're going to have backbeats and
employ tongue-blocking.
Willie Dixon, Sonny Terry, Brownie McGhee, courtesy of Mary Katherine Aldin
22This is a full 12-bar verse:
—_
— « =
°°}
nN s +
a oF, TFS
> 5 & + —
° a 8 ™™ — ad are
= oe poo ( —
o 23 _ one °
= ete tee
> 23 —~
3 mat
o> a3 oN o~ _ (a
ss we ™
a 35 a oN
4 Be (oy pa lar —
os 2 3
gs 7, — wm ow
38 oT —™ ( “
<« gB ON a> a
2 + om
— ES mae ™ ome o~
os g2 (com aad ~
oN 28 naa [oa mA ——>
3: ~ o
-> FE ae we [ep NN
aS oF —_
ss +
oN ae a wn
ee en
op
S a
oy
" vr
24A simple chord alternation between the I chord and the IV chord:
50. 2°92 3 2 3 4 732 2233 32
basil | beh thig v4
j|
5 3, Fifty-three comes from a song Sonny played called "My Baby's Gone".
243222 243222 4455 8
yal dey vadedd ttt ft
teitg 3222
tty t vey
Sesu
3222 2
LvVevy
Sos
a5Five Backup Licks
In some ways, this heading is an oxymoron - if you're playing backup, how can you be playing a lick? In
Sonny's case, backup playing was about as important as playing lead. It's something of an unsung skill,
but it's necessary. These days, a lot of beginning harp players seem content to wail their way through a
song without regard to their fellow players - that's a good way not to get yourself asked back to the jam.
So here's a few ways that Sonny solved the challenge of tasteful backup playing.
You can hear that Sonny often tongue-clicked simple chords:
)
)
)
)
)
)
)
M407 32 tte a ae Lag a Ga EGG e Gao
tiitub dub tub ddbtaubdadd
55, These are just trills, going from the changes from the V to the IV to the I chord.
!
|
!
HL EERE GE
OTT
57. (3) 2343 3 (repeat
Veli
58. 4334 G34a mM. 3433433432 033
DIATE Utd UT
2ASeven Tricky Licks
This is a little pattern that involves a tongue-block.
)
)
)
)
a
59.
(repeat)
en
Awe
a
Toneenrennl
tre thityy|
ws,
Hue
en
Ws
3 3 3
ts J 2 ‘
eil 2
oe
54
ty
+.
<—n
ete.
we
<
Row
>
Ke
234
V4
Roau
Rusu
mo
Harmonica And Washboard Breakdown >
Harmonica Stomp E A
Harmonica And Washboard Blues E
Forty-Four Whistle Blues E(2)
Blowing the Blues E(2) AQ)
Touch It Up and Go E
John Henry E
Fox Chase (6503-A-2) E
Fox Chase (6503-A-3) E
The Red Cross Store E
Glory roy
Lonesome Train D
Run Away Women D2) G(2)
Shake Down E(2) A(2)
Sweet Woman E A
Fox Chase (SO-8) F Bb
Hard Luck Child F(2) Bb(2)
‘We Just Can't Agree E A
My Baby Likes to Shuffle E A
Old Jabo
Going Down Slow
Crow Jane Blues
Harmonica With Slaps
Pick A Bale of Cotton
Dark Road
Skip To My Lou
The Woman is Killin’ Me
Jail House Blues
Fox Chase/Right on that Shore
Shortnin’ Bread
Sweet Woman
Lost John
‘A Man Is Nothing But A Fool
Poor Man (But A Good Man)
T've Been Your Doggie Since I've Been Your Man
PDP DP E> >>>
jaw harp)
fa oF on oo ot
Bre>>‘Sonny Terry & Brownie McGhee - California Blues - Fantasy 24723-2
1Got Fooled
No Need of Running
I Feel So Good
Thinkin’ and Worrying
I Love You Baby
California Blues
Walkin’ and Lyin’ Down
First and Last Love
Christine
I Have Had My Fun
Whoppin’ and Squallin’
Water Boy Cry
Motherless Child
Sportin’ Life
John Henry
Yma Stranger
Combread and Peas
Louise
1Done Done
Meet You in the Morning
Poor Boy From Home
Hudy Leadbelly
‘Something’s Wrong At Home
Take This Hammer
Baby’s Gone
Lose Your Money
i, in! ins - if - i BV
Rocky Mountain
Got to Move Your Baby
So Sorry to Leave You
Take A Trip With Me
Last Night Blues
Lightnin’s Stroke
Hard to Love a Woman
Conversation Blues
LP's
Pn oo
mar oamao
= Whoopin’ : B
Whoopin’ the Blues
All Alone Blues
Worried Man Blues
Leavin’ Blues
Screaming And Crying Blues
Riff and Harmonica Jump.
Crow Jane Blues
Beer Garden Blues
Hot Headed Woman
Custard Pie Blues
Early Morning Blues
Harmonica Rag
Dirty Mistreater
Telephone Blues
eres beers as ons en oo
Alcoholic Blues
Women’s Blues (Corrina)
Locomotive Blues
Bad Luck Blues
Lost John
Shortnin’ Bread
Fine and False Voice
Harmonica Stomp
Beautiful City
= 2
Samlam
mmm
45
Bb
Bb
Bb
Bb
Bb
Bb
Bb
(no harp)B.McGhee & S, Terry - Back Country Blues - Savoy MG14019
Gone, Baby, Gone
Tell Me Baby
Sittin’ Pretty
Bottom Blues
Dissatisfied Blues
Diamond Ring
The Way I Feel
So Much Trouble
When It’s Love Time
T'd Love To Love You
Love's A Disease
My Fault
BMcGhee & S, Terry - Guitar Highway - Verve FVS 9019
Better Day
Confusion
Dark Road
John Henry
Let Me Make A Little Money
Old Jabo
I Love You Baby
Guitar Highway
Heart In Sorrow
Preachin’ The Blues
Can't Help Myself
Best of Friends
If You Lose Your Money
ILove You Baby
Cornbread, Peas, Black Molasses
That's How I Feel
You'd Better Mind
Treated Wrong
Brownie’s Blues
Souther Train
Just A Dream
Sonny's Blues
Gone But Not Forgotten
Change The Lock On The Door
Climbing On Top Of The Hill
TAin’t Gonna Be Your Dog No More
My Baby Done Gone
Worried Blues
High Powered Woman
Pepperheaded Woman
Sonny's Story
Gonna Get On My Feets After Awhile
Four O'Clock Blues
Telephone Blues
Great Tall Engine
Key To The Highway
Lose Your Money
Louise
Sportin’ Life
New Harmonica Breakdown
Prison Bound
Livin’ With The Blues
Blowin’ the Blues
Baby Please Don't Go
‘Twelve Gates To The City
Pawnshop Blues
Brownie's Guitar Blues
46
Om Om mn on
maOm>omamm mom
F(2)
F(2)
E(2)
Smonnme
mimi Dom
oon oon oa os
PED OP >> >>>Oe
Bb(2)
Bb(2)
(no harp)
Bb
A(2)
Bb
Bb
(no harp)
Bb(2)
PPP PUP > >>>
POBEP EP Eg E> >‘One Monkey Don't Stop The Show E A
‘Changed The Lock on My Door E A
Tater Pie E A
She's So Sweet E A
Diggin’ My Potatoes E A
Sonny's Coming F Bb
Ida Mae F Bb
Callin’ My Mama E A
Bad Luck F Bb
Blues From the Bottom E A
Ain't Nothin’ Like Whisky A D
Penetentiary Blues A D
If You Steal My Chickens A D
First Meetin’ E (no harp)
How Long Have It Been Since You Been Home? (no harp)
‘Wimmin From Coast to Coast A D
TGot A Woman E A
Backwater Blues B E
East Coast Blues c F
Don't You Lie To Me E A
Jump Little Children E A
Blues All Around My Head F Bb
Little Black Engine D G
Muddy Water A D
Hooray, Hooray, This Woman is Killin’ Me E A
Bom To Live'The Blues E A
Just About Crazy F Bb
Up, Sometimes Down D G
Baby I Knocked On Your Door E A
Keep On Walkin’ E A
Baby, I Got My Eyes On you E A
1 Got A little Girl F Bb
1 Feel Alright Now B E
Worry, Worry, Worry D G
‘Sweet Woman Blues F Bb
Jump, Little Child E A
Lonesome Day A D
One Thing For Sure E A
The Killin’ Floor A D
Little Black Engine D G
[Don’t Know The Reason D G
Trouble In Mind D G
Everyday I Have The Blues E A
Door To Success E A
BIBLIOGRAPHY
Ball, Tom. Blues Harmonica. Fullerton: Centerstream, 1993
Bastin, Bruce, Red River Blues. Urbana & Chicago: U. of Illinois, 1986
Cooper, Kent & Palmer, Fred. The Harp Styles of Sonny Terry. New York: Oak, 1975
Dixon, R.M.W. & Godrich, John. Blues And Gospel Records, 1902-1942. London:
Storyville. Revised edition, 1969.
Elmes, Barry. Interview With Sonny Terry. Living Blues Magazine, 1973.
Field, Kim. Harmonicas, Harps, and Heavy Breathers. New York: Fireside, 1993
Glover, Tony. Blues Harp. New York: Oak, 1965.
Guthrie, Woody. Pastures Of Plenty. New York: Harper, 1990.
Leadbitter, Mike & Slaven, Neil. Blues Records 1943-1966. New York: Oak, 1968.
Russell, Tony. Blacks, Whites and Blues. London: Studio Vista, 1970.
47Blues & Rock
Harmonica
by Glenn Weiser
This book/cassette package
helps beginners leam biues &
rock improvisation. Includes
explanations of scales, modes,
chords, and other essential
elements of music. The cassette features riffs &
solos, plus demonstrations and a blues jam to play
along with
00000127. _ $16.95
Blues Harmonica— A
Comprehensive Crash
Course & Overview
by Tom Ball
This new book/cassette pack
features a comprehensive
crash-course on all aspects
of the blues harmonica.
Writen infornally and in only tab notation, this
book encourages players to lear at their own
pace while developing their own style and feel
The accompanying tape includes demonstrations
to inspire and aid players in practice.
00000159, $16.95
The Harmonica
‘According To @
Charlie Musselwhite
Centerstream Publications
‘An easy guide to playing
improvised blues. Includes
20 minute record.
00000001, $8.95
by Glenn Weiser
This complete guide to
playing fiddle tunes con-
P| ins tips on hand positions,
B} playing instructions, and
ls J techniques, plus rhythmic
pattems for the reel, jig, hompipe and waltz.
Features over 100 songs, and comes with a
casserte that demonstrates several of the tunes.
Reading music is not necessary.
00000097 Book /Cassette PACK orn n- $16.95
by Jerry Perelman
]} The harmonica opens a won-
erful new avenue of musical
ing or indvidval playing. The
H Perfect Harmonica Method is
the beginner's guide to leaming to enjoy music and
play the harmonica. I includes a Hohner harmonica
and case, a demonstration cassene, and an. €asj40-
follow book. Developed by Jemy Perelman, this
method has been proven over a period of years
with thousands of successful students
00000147. $15.95U.S. $19.95
3.
ISBN 1-57424-018-8
lM I ll,
99904515